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These are a couple of the bridges and tunnels. The bridge on the left reminded us of the Jungle Boat ride at Disneyland where you come to the hippos in the water, and the tunnel on the right is the Chirk Tunnel. It is 459 yards long and really dark inside. If you look closely in the middle, the little light is the opening at the other end (so yes there really is a light at the end of the tunnel).

This is cute Ellesmere (mere means lake, and there are lots around here). We stopped here one day and stayed one night on our way back. We went into town a bunch of times. They had all kinds of shops and stores and food things and we even mailed our postcards from here.

All of the houses and buildings in England are made out of brick (in London they told us that after the great fire they could only build out of brick).



We went through some locks also. Some were the staircase kind with 3 or so in a row and others were just one. We had to open the gates and let water in and out while Grampa kept the boat from tipping on the cills.

That's Grampa in the boat waiting for the lock to fill.

One set of locks the weather changed at each lock, getting cooler until it started raining by the end. Then, clear weather again.


Grampa started feeling guilty that we were doing all the work running ahead to check then open and close the locks, so he started taking pictures of us.

He actually had the harder job of keeping the boat centered in the locks (He tried to get us to switch but we said "No Way").


Sometimes he even had to manuver around obstacles like this bridge (or other boats, over-washes...).


Mackenzie and Gramma usually took one side while I did the other, until Mackenzie found this dog to play with. He lives in one of the houses by the locks and followed us through 3 locks that were spaced apart. When we came back that way, he was right there again ready to play. He's the kind that would bring you any rock or stick (and a couple of times a leaf) and drop it in front of you, then stare until you threw it.



My other job was to get on top of the boat anytime we needed the poles to push ourselves away from the shallow part.

Continue on the Narrowboat Trip